Nimrod71
Senior Member
One of my cousins came by today to tell me of his latest adventure on the Altamaha. Gabby is a real outdoorsman. He loves to hunt and fish on the river. Last Monday he called and asked if I would like to go to the river fishing and set some trotlines. Since it has been so hot I bowed out. Like me Gabby is getting a little on the far side of 50 and we are not in the best physical condition. In other words our wives don't think we need to be on the river alone. He and is dog went anyway and the following is something everyone should keep in mind.
Gabby's boat is a 15-48 Dura-Craft with a 25 h.p. motor. He bought it new in 1990. He put in at Deen's Landing and went up river to the cut through. He found a log on the upper side of the cut to attach the trotline and baited the line and put some brick on the end to hold it on the bottom. He then proceeded to fish for bream and cats in the eddy and spots he had fished before. After two hours fishing he had a good mess of bream and a few keepable channel cats. When he went back to check his trotline and found no fish, but the bait was gone from several hooks, one hook bent and another broken off, he decided to drop the line lower on the log, rebait and come back just before dark and check and rebait for the night.
He tried to untie the line from the log but could not get the line untied, so he got his knife out and leaned over the front of the boat and cut the line. The boat was not tied to the log and it was in the current, Yes, as he leaned over and cut the line the current pushed the boat back ward and Gabby holding on to the log with one hand and the knife in the other pitched head first in to the river.
Most people would say no worry he has on his life jacket, no the life jacket is in the closed and locked storage compartment in the middle of the boat. When he popped back up the boat was drifting away with his dog standing in the front looking like daddy why did you leave me in the boat alone. He knew he had to make a quick decision to try and swim to shore in the current or try to get to the boat. The boat was closer so he made for the boat.
Once at the boat, now how do I get back in. Like me Gabby is not slim and trim any more and we at not as strong as we were 40 years ago. As he floated down river he was thinking of waiting until the boat floated up against the bank or sand bar before getting back in, but he didn't know if he could hang on to the side of the boat that long. He finally came to the conclusion he had to try and get back in so he tried getting in from the bow, but it was to high and there was nothing to grab on to. The only way he figured he could get in was from the back. He eased down the side of the boat to the back and grabbed hold to the front of the motor and worked his way into the boat. After making it back into the boat he bowed his had and thanked the LORD for saving him and giving him another day of life. As he was sitting in the boat his hat and wallet came floating by and he was able to retrieve them from the river. Then he realized he had lost his new eye glassed, he paid over $400 them, and his cell phone.
By now he had drifted almost back to the landing and he had had enough of the river for today. When he pulled up at the boat ramp another friend of ours was there and ask him what had happened and if he had enjoyed his swim. Gabby told him of the adventure and of how the LORD had saved him. GOD is great and JESUS saves.
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Gabby's boat is a 15-48 Dura-Craft with a 25 h.p. motor. He bought it new in 1990. He put in at Deen's Landing and went up river to the cut through. He found a log on the upper side of the cut to attach the trotline and baited the line and put some brick on the end to hold it on the bottom. He then proceeded to fish for bream and cats in the eddy and spots he had fished before. After two hours fishing he had a good mess of bream and a few keepable channel cats. When he went back to check his trotline and found no fish, but the bait was gone from several hooks, one hook bent and another broken off, he decided to drop the line lower on the log, rebait and come back just before dark and check and rebait for the night.
He tried to untie the line from the log but could not get the line untied, so he got his knife out and leaned over the front of the boat and cut the line. The boat was not tied to the log and it was in the current, Yes, as he leaned over and cut the line the current pushed the boat back ward and Gabby holding on to the log with one hand and the knife in the other pitched head first in to the river.
Most people would say no worry he has on his life jacket, no the life jacket is in the closed and locked storage compartment in the middle of the boat. When he popped back up the boat was drifting away with his dog standing in the front looking like daddy why did you leave me in the boat alone. He knew he had to make a quick decision to try and swim to shore in the current or try to get to the boat. The boat was closer so he made for the boat.
Once at the boat, now how do I get back in. Like me Gabby is not slim and trim any more and we at not as strong as we were 40 years ago. As he floated down river he was thinking of waiting until the boat floated up against the bank or sand bar before getting back in, but he didn't know if he could hang on to the side of the boat that long. He finally came to the conclusion he had to try and get back in so he tried getting in from the bow, but it was to high and there was nothing to grab on to. The only way he figured he could get in was from the back. He eased down the side of the boat to the back and grabbed hold to the front of the motor and worked his way into the boat. After making it back into the boat he bowed his had and thanked the LORD for saving him and giving him another day of life. As he was sitting in the boat his hat and wallet came floating by and he was able to retrieve them from the river. Then he realized he had lost his new eye glassed, he paid over $400 them, and his cell phone.
By now he had drifted almost back to the landing and he had had enough of the river for today. When he pulled up at the boat ramp another friend of ours was there and ask him what had happened and if he had enjoyed his swim. Gabby told him of the adventure and of how the LORD had saved him. GOD is great and JESUS saves.
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